The flavour of Christmas: Cappelletti in meat stock

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If there is one recipe that is the symbol of our Christmas, it most certainly is the recipe for Cappelletti in meat stock because it accompanies not only Christmas Day, but also the preceding period of busy preparation and anticipation.

And the recipe for Cappelletti is part of the advent calendar of the Italian Food Bloggers Association which presents a typical family recipe for every box.

Making Cappelletti in meat stock: a family affair

The preparation of Cappelletti is a family affair: yes, because the whole family gets involved during Christmas holidays and everyone is assigned a task based on their culinary skills, an indispensable contribution to this almost sacred ritual.

There are two types of these beloved stuffed buttons: those stuffed with stew and those stuffed with cheese (called Anolini), each of which has its own convinced and adamant admirers.

Tradition has it that for the most important feast of the year, the stuffing with meat stew should be preferred, so Cappelletti are going to be prepared. Stracotto is prepared several days in advance also because, as its name implies, it takes so long to cook. Precisely for this reason, the cooking juices, with precious flavours and aromas, are used piping hot to moisten the breadcrumbs (unlike cheese stuffing where broth is used for this purpose).

Although the ingredients are few and the recipe is always the same, the stuffing (together with the meat stock) is the element that most determines the success of the Christmas lunch because the stracotto will never be perfectly the same as the previous year’s, nor will the Parmesan cheese and bread we use be identical, so the tasting committee has a task of great responsibility. One of the most vivid and amusing memories I keep of the “Cappelletti factory” is the ritual of tasting the filling by the men of the house who, excluded from all household chores, could not help but be involved in the approval of the filling: an additional pinch of aged Parmesan cheese, a bit less of nutmeg, in short, an invisible recipe hidden in the memory of tastes.

cappelletti in brodo

The traditional dough: 100g flour for 1 egg

My grandmother’s rule has always been this, a proportion that we cannot maintain in the preparation of gluten-free dough, which requires more hydration and therefore more eggs.

The dough must be bright yellow due to the careful selection of eggs with the yolk having an intense colour to ensure an even, golden dough. My grandmother’s powerful arms (now often replaced by my own) would push her wrists so that they would sink into the resistant mass of flour and eggs, which would eventually surrender, becoming docile and smooth, ready to receive the precious explosion of flavour of the filling.

My mother was (and still is) in charge of rolling out the pastry into thin, almost transparent strips and my aunt presided over the precision work of distributing the filling. And then, the workforce still available was given the task of cutting with round, smooth or ribbed stencils, and the patient arrangement, especially by the children of the house, in perfectly aligned rows; so that the precise number of Cappelletti prepared was readily known and flaunted with acquaintances and friends in fun competitions in search of Guinness records.

Capon stock 

Last but not least, the stock. Again, for Christmas, the choice of ingredients is very accurate and detailed: a rich piece of beef, a large beef bone, a free-range capon and the essential vegetables for colour and fragrance, namely onion, celery, carrot, garlic and parsley. Slow cooking, careful skimming of the foam on the surface and an eye on the cooking of the meat that will be the second dish of the day: the boiled meats accompanied by homemade sauces, sweet and spicy.

Once the stock has been strained and the salt has been adjusted, the last effort before the pleasure and the feast: throw in the cappelletti and cook them, keeping them at a gentle simmer to prevent them from opening and releasing their filling. So here they are, the adored and legendary “floaters“, as  Parma natives like to call them.

cappelletti in brodo

Cappelletti in meat stock

37.31g carbohydrates per 100g raw cappelletti, without stock

 

Ingredients for the egg pasta for 4 servings

  • 300g flour for fresh pasta  Molino Dallagiovanna** (for gluten-free version, see below)
  • 4 eggs
  • salt

Ingredients for the Cappelletti filling

  • 150g stew meat
  • 75g breadcrumbs, brand Nutrifree**
  • 40g Parmigiano Reggiano, 36 months, grated,
  • 35g Parmigiano Reggiano, 24 months, grated,
  • 1 egg + 1 yolk
  • meat stew liquid to wet the breadcrumbs, salt and nutmet

Ingredients to complete

  • 2.5 litres approx. of meat stock, preferably prepared using capon
  • Grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

**Ingredients specific for celiacs

*Ingredients whose labels must read “gluten-free” (or, in Italy, present on  Prontuario AIC)

Preparation

  1. Prepare the dough: make a well with the 2 flours, crack the eggs in the centre, add a pinch of salt and start by beating the eggs with a fork; gradually incorporate the flour until you can knead the mixture using your hands. Continue mixing with a fork until the dough is stiff enough to be kneaded by hand. Continue working the pastry until it is smooth and compact.
  2. Cover the pastry with foil and leave it to rest while the filling is prepared.
  3. Bring the stock almost to the boil, then pour small amounts of it over the breadcrumbs, stirring so that the liquid is perfectly absorbed. When all the breadcrumbs have been soaked, mix well and leave to cool for about ten minutes. It is important that the breadcrumbs are wet, but still well separated and not creamy.
  4. Add all the other ingredients and mix to obtain a filling with a rather hard consistency.
  5. Cut the pastry into slices, flatten them with a rolling pin, then roll them out into thin strips, 30-40cm long and about 7cm wide with the pasta sheeter. Place mounds of filling of a suitable size for the ring you are using in the centre of the pasta sheet, spacing each 2cm apart.
  6. Fold the pastry over lengthwise, press the pasta sheet around the perimeter of the filling with your fingers and cut out the cappelletti with the cutter.
  7. Put a pot of stock on the stove and when it comes to the boil, lower the flame, remove from the heat for a moment (to prevent the broth from spilling out when pouring the cappelletti) and throw in the cappelletti. Let them cook until the pasta dough is of the desired consistency.
  8. Serve the cappelletti with the stock piping hot and, if desired, sprinkle them with grated Parmesan cheese.

degustare i cappelletti in brodo

Version with gluten of Cappelletti in meat stock

Replace the Molino Dallagiovanna fresh pasta fix flour with an equal amount of wheat flour, kneading it with 3 whole eggs, while all other ingredients remain unchanged.

 

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Fregnacce Sabina style

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In Roman dialect, the term Fregnaccia means nonsense, lie, and nuisance, but in the tradition of Central Italy it also indicates a type of pasta, similar to a large, thick Maltagliato, so called to indicate the simplicity of a dish that wins you over with the flavour of its few, delicious ingredients. Here is the recipe for the second meeting with the Rieti-Viterbo Chamber of Commerce, Fregnacce alla sabinese.

And what are these extraordinary ingredients?

The Ovalone Rietino Tomato P.A.T. (i.e. traditional Italian agri-food product) of the Tenuta San Giovanni Farm of Gianfranco Gianni.

The Azienda Olearia’s Leccino Olives Bonifazi Oil

Petrucci’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil  and the lively The Three Doors Sabino chilli pepper

In preparing the recipe from the book ‘La Cucina Sabina’ by Maria Giuseppina Truini Palomba, we were guided by chef Marco Bartolomei and the result was a feast for the whole family.

Enjoy the journey and bon appétit!

Fregnacce Sabina style

49.3 carbohydrates per 100g of unseasoned Fregnacce

 

Ingredients for Fregnacce

  • 300g fresh pasta flour mix Molino Dallagiovanna** (for gluten-free version, see below)
  • 180g water (or however much you need to have a consistent dough)
  • a pinch of salt

Ingredients for sauce

  • 500g peeled Ovalone tomato
  • 100g Leccino olives in brine
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • parsley, chilli pepper, salt and extra virgin olive oil

**Ingredients specific for celiacs

*Ingredients whose labels must read “gluten-free” (or, in Italy, present on  Prontuario AIC)

Preparation

  1. Knead the flour with a pinch of salt and enough water to obtain a firm, homogeneous dough. Fate riposare la pasta in un sacchetto di plastica per circa 15 minuti.
  2. Divide the dough in half and roll it out with a rolling pin to a not-too-thin thickness, forming a large disc that you will leave to air dry for about half an hour. Roll each disc to form a large cylinder and cut it with the knife blade at an angle with the tip pointing once to the right and once to the left so that the resulting pieces are diamond- shaped.
  3. Prepare the sauce by putting the clove of garlic in oil with the chilli pepper. Brown the garlic well, then add the tomato after having mashed it well with a fork to make it homogeneous. Cook the sauce for about twenty minutes, seasoning with salt, then add the olives and chopped parsley and leave to season for another 10 minutes.

le fregnacce

  1. Boil the pasta in boiling salted water and when it rises to the surface, drain it, toss it in the pan with the sauce and leave it to season for a few minutes.
  2. Serve your pasta immediately because the saying in Romanesco goes ‘Cook the Fregnacce and eat them right away’.
Le fregnacce alla sabinese pronte per essere gustate

Fregnacce Sabina style ready to be thoroughly enjoyed

Version with gluten of Fregnacce Sabina style

Replace the Molino Dallagiovanna fresh pasta flour mix with an equal amount of wheat flour, adjusting the amount of water needed for kneading.

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From the heart of Italy, Chestnut and grass pea soup

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A year later, I virtually set off again towards Rieti to meet with bloggers, journalists and cooking enthusiasts to discover other products of the Alta Valle del Velino area through the first recipe: Chestnut and grass pea soup.

This soup is naturally gluten-free and the presence of pulses helps to better control the carbohydrates provided by dried chestnuts and potatoes, foods that require some attention for proper blood sugar management.

The journey of flavours in the heart of Italy: Chestnut and grass pea soup

zuppa di castagne e cicerchie

The local tourism and culture project was designed by the Rieti Viterbo Chamber of Commerce in cooperation with the Azienda Speciale Centro Italia Rieti and is aimed at highlighting the area’s excellence. Also look at the recipes cooked last year: Amatriciana and Pulse pasta with Rascino lentils.

The main ingredients of Chestnut and grass pea soup are two types of chestnuts and dried grass peas.

The chestnuts of the Rieti area are Chestnuts from Antrodoco and Rossa del Cicolano, both valuable varieties that have always been linked to the economy of these areas and thus one of the main components of the diet of mountain populations along with the rich selection of pulses. In our soup, we used dried chestnuts from Atrodoco, left to soak in water for about half an hour, and partly sliced raw to add a delicious fresh scent and a crunchy touch to the preparation.

The grass pea or Indian pea (an expression that betrays its provenance from distant lands) is a pulse whose cultivation is valuable in areas prone to drought and famine, so it ensured subsistence for farmers even in years when other products failed to bear fruit, thus important despite the difficult harvest.

Grass peas have a sweet taste, similar to that of chickpeas, that easily conquers the palate, but since they grow on stony ground it is important to subject them to a careful visual inspection before putting them in the pot: restaurants in this part of Italy are often equipped with a good insurance policy to cover any expenses for a dentist’s surgery after a tasty stop at the table!

So are you ready to discover the heart of Italy with another recipe? Let’s arm ourselves with pots and ingredients and cook it together.

Chestnut and grass pea soup

16.04 g carbohydrates per 100g

Ingredients for 4 servings

  • 1.2 litres of water
  • 300g dried grass peas (soak for at least 8 hours)
  • 100g dried chestnuts (soak for 1 hour)
  • 100g potatoes
  • 20g extra virgin olive oil, plus oil for serving
  • 4 whole chestnuts
  • 1 clove garlic
  • bay leaf
  • parsley
  • rosemary
  • salt and pepper

Preparation

  1. Put extra virgin olive oil in a pan and season with chopped garlic and parsley. Add the soaked and well-drained grass peas and allow them to gain flavour for a few minutes, stirring them with a wooden spoon.
  2. Add water and cook for about 20 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, cook the soaked dried chestnuts for about 20 minutes in lightly salted water with a bay leaf. Drain and roughly chop them, then add them to the grass peas together with the diced potatoes and finish cooking.
  4. Take 2 ladles of soup and put them in a blender, then pour the resulting cream back into the soup so that the mixture is nicely thick.
  5. Peel the raw chestnuts, cut them into thin slices and serve the soup with the chestnut slices, chopped rosemary and parsley and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Complete with bread croutons to your taste.

zuppa di castagne e cicerchie

Version with gluten of Chestnut and grass pea soup

The recipe contains only naturally gluten free ingredients, so no adaptation is necessary for its version with gluten.

 

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Autumn at the winery: Hunter’s style Gnocchetti with hare

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Also this year the Tuscan Wine Tourism Movement in collaboration with theItalian Food Blogger Association has launched the initiative involving 15 food bloggers to propose a pairing of a Tuscan wine with an autumn recipe, and my proposal is these Gnocchetti with hare. See also my pairing from last year for Christmas Bacchus .

Hunter’s style Gnocchetti with hare and Monterosola Winery

The winery I was lucky enough to be matched with is Monterosola in Volterra, a winery that has been active since 2013 to realise the dream of a Swedish family, the Thomaeus, to produce wine in a state-of-the-art, hi-tech, eco-sustainable winery in full harmony with the nature of the enchanting Tuscan countryside.

crescendo IGT 2018

Crescendo IGT 2018 – Photo by Lorenzo Moreni

The wine that Monterosola decided to send me is Crescendo IGTa 100% pure Sangiovese from 2018. It is a full-bodied wine that matures 15 months in French oak barrels, preparing itself for an ageing process that certainly does not frighten it. Pouring Crescendo, one is struck by its garnet red colour that goes well with the fresh notes of red fruits and spices, expressed in the mouth by fine tannins, good acidity and a pleasant persistence: definitely a name that is a promise!

When thinking of a recipe, I wanted to find a meeting point between two iconic autumn ingredients, pumpkin and Porcini mushrooms, and a meat with a strong enough personality to stand up to Crescendo. A friend offered me the solution on a silver platter by giving me a hare ready to be cooked! And the perfect connection between the sweet Gnocchetti and the gamey hare is in the slivers of 40-month aged Parmigiano Reggiano, which immediately befriended the notes of toasted almonds and spices of the enveloping sips of this impressive red.

After trying this combination, all you need to do is book a visit to the winery!

Hunter’s style Gnocchetti with hare

10.77g carbohydrates per 100g

Ingredients for Gnocchetti for 6 servings

  • 630g ricotta
  • 200g Parmigiano Reggiano, 24 months, grated,
  • 200g mashed pumpkin, oven baked
  • 200g gluten free pasta flour mix, brand Molino Dallagiovanna**
  • 2 eggs
  • brown rice flour* for dusting
  • salt

Ingredients for hare sauce

  • 1 litre milk
  • 900g boneless hare
  • 100g Crescendo IGT 2018
  • 60g onions
  • 60g carrots
  • 30g celery
  • 30g triple concentrated tomato paste
  • 15g dried Porcini mushrooms
  • 1 bay leaf
  • meat stock
  • aromatic herbs for marinating (rosemary, sage, thyme)
  • garlic
  • spices (coriander grains, chilli, pepper)
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • Parmesan cheese 40 months to serve

**Ingredients specific for celiacs

*Ingredients whose labels must read “gluten-free” (or, in Italy, present on  Prontuario AIC)

Preparation

  1. Marinate the hare in a large bowl completely covered with milk and water with the herbs and garlic. Leave the hare in the fridge for 2 days, turning it once a day.
  2. Remove the meat from the marinade and de-bone the hare so that you have about 900g of meat, which you cut into small pieces of about 1 cm per side.
  3. Prepare the chopped vegetables typical of meat sauce, i.e. chopped onion, carrot and celery, and brown them in a saucepan with a little oil and half a clove of chopped garlic. When the vegetables are browned, add the triple concentrated tomato paste, possibly diluted with a few tablespoons of water, let it flavour for a few minutes, then add the chopped meat.
  4. Seal the meat over a high heat for a few minutes, then douse with the Crescendo IGT and let it evaporate. Add a ladle of meat stock and the bay leaf, put the lid on and lower the flame to the minimum.
  5. Soak the dried Porcini mushrooms, then cut them into small pieces and add them to the meat. Leave to cook for at least 2 hours, turning occasionally.

Preparation of Gnocchetti

  1. In a bowl, mix all the ingredients together to obtain an even and rather sticky mixture. Cover the bowl and place it in the refrigerator to rest for at least 30 minutes.
  2. With a little flour, start forming cylinders with a diameter of about 1.5cm and cut the dumplings; put them on trays dusted with flour.
  3. When the meat sauce is cooked, season with salt and pepper, a teaspoon of ground coriander grains and a pinch of chilli pepper.
  4. Put a pot of water on the stove, salt it and cook the dumplings until they rise to the surface. Drain them with a slotted spoon, toss them in a large frying pan to gain flavour with the hare sauce and serve.
  5. Complete the dish with a few thin slivers of 40-month aged Parmigiano Reggiano.
gnocchetti con ragù di lepre e lamelle di Parmigiano Reggiano 40 mesi

Gnocchetti hare sauce and slivers of 40-month Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

Version with gluten of Hunter’s style Gnocchetti with hare

Replace the 200g of gluten free flour with 220g of wheat flour; no other adaptation is needed.

 

 

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50 shades of coffee and the ricotta Gnudi recipe

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The new book by my blogger friend Raffaella Fenoglio of the blog Tre civette sul comò  entitled ’50 Shades of Coffee‘ has been published and I would share some of its mouth-watering recipes in the section of my blog dedicated to‘Friends’ recipes‘, so here is the first one: Coffee-flavoured ricotta Gnudi with Parmesan fondue

50 Shades of Coffee is a rich guide to this iconic beverage where you will find:

  • 50 curiosities
  • 50 ways to order it
  • 50 works that immortalised him
  • 50 aphorisms
  • 50 places to enjoy it (and how to say it in all the languages of the world)
  • 50 gastronomic-cultural itineraries that combine a recipe (not just sweet!) with a song, a film and a book
  • Infographics, interviews with experts, the reading of coffee grounds, etiquette for savouring coffee, the incredible range of aromas, the most suitable type for each zodiac sign, tell me how you drink it and I’ll tell you who you are: in short, a rich and entertaining dive into this chocolate-coloured world.

Copertina del libro 50 sfumature di caffè

Book cover 50 Shades of Coffee

A few words about Raffaella Fenoglio

With Raffaella I have shared many adventures over the years. Among the first experiences shared, there is certainly the splendid Contest dedicated to the Egyptian onion which I recounted on the pages of my blog during which I was a guest in the beautiful city of Sanremo, but there were many more occasion to meet in my virtual kitchen for cooking courses of which Raffaella herself wrote on her blog.

Besides being a blogger, Raffaella Fenoglio is the author of several books:

  • Abbasso l’indice glicemico 50+4 ricette per contenere l’IG mangiando bene
  • Indice GliceAmico
  • Gala Cox e i misteri del viaggio nel tempo
  • Storia degli strani animali della fattoria dei Monaci Templari e del coraggio della piccola Nicole (e di Claude)
  • Un tè con Mr Darcy
  • Christmas Love. Di biscotti, amore e fortuna

She collaborated on the culinary part of the novel Il gusto speziato dell’amore (The Spicy Taste of Love ) by Silvia Casini Fanucci, and on the L’Astro Narrante series by the same author

In 2021 the following books were published: Il taccuino delle parole perdute, La cucina incantata, ricette tratte dalle anime di Hayao Miiyazaki and 50 sfumature di caffè, segreti, curiosità e ricette sulla bevanda più amata al mondo. Co-authors Casini and Pasqua. 

She is also the creator and coauthor of Upside Down Magazine- Film, Book & Food Love. and with a group of friends in 2007, she founded P.E.N.E.L.O.P.E. odv, an active association for gender equality.

At this point, I think you will be excited to try the recipe I have chosen for you, which is associated with one of my favourite films, Pulp Fiction! Naturally, I have adapted Raffealla’s recipe to the needs of diabetes and celiac disease.

Coffee-flavoured Ricotta Gnudi with Parmesan fondue

11.53g carbohydrates per 100g

 

Ingredients for Gnudi

  • 350g buffalo’s or cow’s milk Ricotta cheese
  • 80g Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, grated
  • 80g potato starch*
  • 30g brown rice flour* to flour the Gnudi
  • 15g coffee powder
  • 3 egg whites
  • salt and pepper

Ingredients for the Parmesan fondue

  • 250g heavy cream
  • 120g Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, grated
  • pepper

**Ingredients specific for celiacs

*Ingredients whose labels must read “gluten-free” (or, in Italy, present on  Prontuario AIC)

Preparation

  1. In a bowl, mix Ricotta with Parmesan, coffee, potato starch, egg whites, salt and pepper. Place the mixture in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes.
  2. Form balls with 30-40g of the mixture and roll them in rice flour.
  3. For the fondue, place the cream in a small saucepan, bring it to the boil, then remove it from the heat and add the grated Parmesan cheese, stirring well so that it mixes well. Season with pepper and place a few spoonfuls on the plates where you serve the Gnudi.
  4. Put a pot of water on the stove, bring it to the boil, salt it and throw the Gnudi, cooking them for about 2 minutes or until they rise to the surface. Drain them with a slotted spoon and arrange them directly on plates, then top them with more Parmesan fondue.

gnudi di ricotta al caffè

Version of gluten of Coffee-flavoured ricotta Gnudi with Parmesan fondue

Prepare Gnudi with 100g wheat flour instead of potato starch and use wheat flour instead of rice flour to flour them.

 

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Summer recipes: Creamy Passatelli with crispy vegetables

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Do you fancy a homemade pasta, but want it perfect for summer? Creamy Passatelli with crispy vegetables is the perfect summer recipe for a light, vegetable-based dish that is tasty, unusual, but also simple to prepare and if you don’t believe me, watch the video.

Furthermore, prepare a vegetable soup with the vegetables you have available in the garden at home or in the fridge or freezer: it will be a way to offer vegetables to the little ones at home in an unusual way.

If you like stronger flavours and you are not a vegetarian, you can also complete the dish by adding ham, guanciale, speck or bacon sautéed in a non-stick frying pan until crispy.

And nutritionally, this dish lacks nothing, so enjoy!

Creamy Passatelli with crispy vegetables

36.9g carbohydrates per 100g of plain Passatelli

Ingredients for creamy Passatelli for 4 servings

  • 110g  Parmigiano Reggiano, grated
  • 100g gluten free bradcrumbs, brand Nutrifree**
  • 60g gluten free pasta flour mix, brand Molino Dallagiovanna
  • 2 whole eggs
  • meat or vegetable stock to wet the bread
  • nutmeg, salt and pepper

Ingredients for vegetable soup

  • 800g water
  • 500g mixed vegetables
  • salt

Ingredients to complete

  • 140g courgettes (corresponding to 1)
  • 40g salted ricotta
  • a few basil leaves
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • salt and pepper

**Ingredients specific for celiacs

*Ingredients whose labels must read “gluten-free” (or, in Italy, present on  Prontuario AIC)

Preparation

  1. Prepare the vegetable soup by cooking the vegetables in water with a pinch of coarse salt: this can also be prepared the day before. Once the vegetable soup is cooked, let it cool, then blend it to a cream.
  2. Prepare Passatelli. Heat the stock. Put the breadcrumbs in a bowl and wet them with the hot stock, being careful not to pour too much: the bread should be slightly moist, but not doughy. Once cold, add the remaining ingredients, namely flour, grated Parmesan cheese, eggs, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Mix well until you obtain a rather firm dough. Let it rest wrapped in cling film for as long as it takes to prepare the courgettes.
  3. Take the courgette, trim it and cut it into thin julienne strips; also cut the salted ricotta into julienne strips, mix ricotta and courgette together and dress them with salt, pepper and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
  4. Put a pot of water on the stove and bring it to the boil, then add salt.
  5. Put about half the Passatelli mixture into the potato masher, press the potato masher directly over the boiling water and when the Passatelli are the desired length, about 4-5 cm, cut them with a knife dropping them directly into the water. Stir them and let them boil for a few minutes.
  6. Put about 1/3 of the blended vegetable soup in a pan and heat it up; with a slotted spoon, remove the Passatelli from the cooking water and throw them into the pan with the sauce, sautéing them over a high flame for a few minutes.
  7. Pour a ladleful of the cold, blended soup in each serving dish, top with Passatelli, the courgette and ricotta salad, a basil leaf, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and serve.

Passatelli in crema e verdure croccanti

Version with gluten of Creamy Passatelli with crispy vegetables 

Use standard breadcrumbs and flour, however, when preparing Passatelli with gluten, it is often not necessary to add flour to the breadcrumbs. Only add flour if the mixture of breadcrumbs, cheese and eggs is too soft.

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Gluten-free treats: Supplì with Balsamic vinegar and cooked shoulder ham

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Prior to Covid, street food events had become a must-attend event for cooking enthusiasts, and these Supplì with Balsamic vinegar and cooked shoulder ham would have been the perfect protagonists of a snack with friends in the name of good food and regional flavours. So, I wanted to share them with my work colleagues, turning an ordinary day into a special day!

Il supplì con i colleghi di lavoro

But what are Supplì? I told you about them last year for the first SuppliTiamo event with my Suppli Viva l’Italia. And for this new edition of the contest, I wanted to create a much richer and delicious Supplì using three products from my region: Balsamic Vinegar of Modena in its two expressions, PGI and PDO, Cooked shoulder ham from San Secondo and Parmigiano Reggiano.

Let’s start with order. I am not going to tell you about Parmigiano Reggiano because its history has been the protagonist of many other recipes, while I will start with Balsamic Vinegar of Modena PGI. This is the product obtained from partially fermented and/or cooked and/or concentrated grape must and wine vinegar that are subjected to acetification and ageing in wood for at least 60 days. Aging can last up to 3 years for vinegar called “Aged”. This vinegar is the aromatic, sweet and sour product that we are used to using as a condiment and that I love for preparing my sweet and sour onions.

Balsamic PDO is a product that, despite its similar name, has very different characteristics and uses. Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena PDO is in fact the product obtained from a single ingredient, cooked grape must, aged in barrels of different woods and sizes for a minimum of 12 years following a unique production process, closely linked to family traditions. Balsamic Vinegar PDO is a thick, glossy black liquid and has an extremely sweet and concentrated flavour. It is perfect to be consumed raw on sweet and savoury dishes.

Finally, Spalla cotta di San Secondo is a typical deli meat from the areas near the river Po in the province of Parma obtained from the shoulder of pigs. It is a product with a long history sought after by cured meat enthusiasts for its very distinctive flavour and aroma: eaten warm, perhaps with the typical Fried dough, Spalla cotta is just unforgettable!

So let’s prepare our Supplì step by step.

Supplì with balsamic vinegar and cooked shoulder ham

29g carbohydrates per 100g

Ingredients for 8 servings

  • 550g meat stock
  • 270g Carnaroli rice
  • 200g onions
  • 120g sliced cooked shoulder ham from San Secondo*
  • 100 g young Pecorino or other cheese that melts
  • 2 eggs
  • 50g breadcrumbs**
  • 40g Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, grated
  • 40g wholemeal rice flour*
  • 20 g butter
  • 3 tablespoons of Balsamic Vinegar of Modena PGI
  • 1 teaspoon Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 bay leaf
  • salt and pepper
  • seed oil for frying

**Ingredients specific for celiacs

*Ingredients whose labels must read “gluten-free” (or, in Italy, present on  Prontuario AIC)

Preparation

  1. Prepare the rice by putting the Carnaroli rice in the meat stock and cooking it until all the stock has been absorbed. Stir the rice with butter and grated Parmesan cheese, then spread it out on a plate or tray to cool.
  2. While the rice is cooling, prepare the onions. Slice them thinly and brown them in a non-stick frying pan with a little oil (I used my fantastic Shark Skin pan from Pentole Agnelli discovered at one of the Risate & Risotti evenings last year) and a bay leaf. When the onions are soft, add Balsamic Vinegar of Modena, season with salt and pepper and let the sauce thicken well. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
  3. Once the rice has cooled down, put it in a bowl and incorporate an egg. Season the rice with 1 heaped teaspoon of Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena.

L'aceto balsamico tradizionale di modena

4. Assemble the supplì. Lightly grease your hands with extra virgin olive oil, place a layer of rice on the palm and fingers of one hand, place a spoonful of sweet and sour onions in the centre of the rice, a few cheese cubes and a slice of cooked shoulder ham from San Secondo. Using lightly greased fingers, take more rice to cover the Supplì and form the cylinder, sealing it well.

5. Beat the second egg in a bowl with a pinch of salt. Dip each Supplì in rice flour, then in beaten egg and finally in breadcrumbs.

6. Put the seed oil in a saucepan, heat it and deep fry the Supplì until golden and crispy. Serve them piping hot and… remember to open your eyes again after the first bite!

dettaglio supplì

Version with gluten of Supplì with balsamic vinegar and cooked shoulder ham

Replace gluten free breadcrumbs with standard breadcrumbs and, if you prefer, rice flour with wheat flour.

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Creamy beetroot risotto: welcome spring!

Welcome Spring! And what better way to do this than by preparing a Creamy beetroot risotto to pay homage to the pink colour of the blossoming trees? Because the typical pink colour of the peach tree is given precisely by the beetroot, which we can buy already cooked, perhaps baked, from our greengrocer.

Creamy beetroot risotto: pink on the plate.

The second star of the risotto is one of my absolute favourite cheeses, namely Gorgonzola, the Italian blue cheese par excellence, whose light spiciness gives the slightly earthy flavour of beetroot a boost of flavour.

Furthermore, you know well I love adding a crunchy touch to risottos, the perfect complement to the creaminess of well-roasted and smooth grains, and a very simple and effective idea are slivers of Jerusalem artichoke and slivers of Parmesan cheese.

ingredienti del risotto cremoso alla barbabietola

The ingredients of creamy beetroot risotto

Jerusalem artichoke: a zero-mileage tuber

Despite the name that makes us think it comes from who knows what distant country, Jerusalem artichoke is a herbaceous perennial plant with an underground tuber native to the American continent whose name probably comes from the South American Tupinamba tribe that made abundant use of it.

Like potato and tomato, Jerusalem artichoke has adapted perfectly to the climate of our country where it grows wild and almost weedy, especially along watercourses, and we recognise it by its beautiful yellow flowers on tall, straight stalks. So don’t be afraid to buy this kind of lumpy potato: it will be a constant surprise when you eat it raw, as in this risotto, or cooked as a side dish or cream.

So if you are looking for recipes for Easter, simple but surprising recipes and ideas to colour your table, here is a solution! And to complete the menu, try Easter pie.

Creamy beetroot risotto

25.35g carbohydrates per 100g  

 Ingredients for 4 servings

  • approx. 1.5 litres of previously prepared vegetable stock
  • 320g rice
  • 100g baked beetroot
  • 80g Gorgonzola
  • 70g red wine
  • 40g Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, grated
  • 30g shallot
  • 30g butter
  • extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper, Pecorino Romano cheese for crisps

Ingredients to complete

  • 1 Jerusalem artichoke
  • Parmesan shavings
  • 2 slices of baked beetroot

Preparation

Put a little oil in a pan and very slowly brown the thinly sliced shallot and diced beetroot. After a few minutes, add a ladle of stock and let it cook for a few minutes. Transfer this vegetable base to a blender and blend to a cream-like mixture.

Start preparing the risotto. Put the rice in a thick-bottomed pan and toast it dry over high heat (it took me 3 minutes to have transparent rice grains with a white core in the centre). Douse the rice with red wine, allow to evaporate, then start adding the boiling stock. Continue stirring and only add stock when the rice has absorbed almost all the liquid. Five minutes from the end of cooking, add the beetroot cream and Gorgonzola cheese to the rice.

When the rice is still al dente, take it away from the heat and proceed with the creaming. Add 30 grams of butter, stirring the rice well so that the starch is released to form a nice creamy mixture, add the grated Parmesan cheese and continue stirring vigorously until all ingredients are perfectly incorporated. Cover the pan with a tea towel and let it rest for 1 minute.

Serve the risotto on hot plates and distribute some very thin slices of Jerusalem artichoke cut with a mandoline, Parmesan shavings and a few cubes of beetroot on the surface.

Il risotto cremoso alla barbabietola pronto per essere gustato

Creamy beetroot risotto ready to be enjoyed

Version with gluten of Creamy beetroot risotto

The recipe contains only naturally gluten free ingredients, so no adaptation is necessary for its version with gluten.

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The Winter Flower: Strozzapreti with Radicchio and pumpkin fondue

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Radicchio di Treviso PGI in gluten free cuisine: how to cook Strozzapreti with Radicchio and pumpkin fondue to colour your table and make the whole family happy.

The ‘Winter Flower’ contest

To publicise the work and attention that farmers in the typical area devote to radicchio, the Consorzio Tutela del Radicchio di Treviso PGI and Radicchio Variegato di Castelfranco PGI which gathers together the producers of these incredible vegetables (also known as‘winter flowers‘ for their shape that evokes that of a flower) decided to launch a contest throughout Italy where 10 bloggers from various regions were asked to marry Radicchio with their own culinary traditions and to propose a recipe to be enjoyed when seated and one to be eaten standing.

Are you ready to see my ideas? Let’s start with the “seated recipe”: Strozzapreti with radicchio and pumpkin fondue.

The term Radicchio does not indicate a single vegetable. Depending on personal gastronomic habits and one’s area of origin, certainly the word Radicchio brings to mind different types of vegetables.

In Italy, the place in the front row is certainly taken by Radicchio from Treviso, a radicchio that holds many surprises, not only in terms of taste and versatility in cooking, but also for the way in which it is producedrarely known to consumers.

Radicchio Rosso di Treviso PGI: early and late

The acronym PGI stands for Protected Geographical Indication, but what does this designation imply? It implies that the Radicchio referred to is grown in a very specific geographical area where the soil, climate and production method make it unique and inimitable.

The characteristics of Radicchio di Treviso are therefore different from any other product, to the point that if a seedling were grown in another part of the planet, the end result would be profoundly different: this is one of nature’s many miracles.

Early Radicchio, called “precoce”

As the name implies, this is the Radicchio whose harvest begins in September (which is why you will not see it used in these recipes as it is not available) after the plants are tied with a rubber band so that light cannot penetrate them for 15-20 days. Consequently, when the large tufts are harvested, the outer leaves are removed directly in the field, while the precious dark red central part is washed and destined for our tables.

Late radicchio, called “tardivo”

Radicchio tardivo in vendita

Radicchio Tardivo for sale on the shelves of a greengrocer

This is the Radicchio we most often associate with the name Treviso and is also the type I used in my recipe for Strozzapreti.

Unlike what one might imagine for a vegetable, its colour and flavour are highly dependent on the process. It is called Tardivo because it is after four months in the field, in November, that a turning point occurs: the first cold weather ‘burns’ the outer leaves, giving them their typical ‘blade’ shape. At this point, Radicchio heads are extracted from the soil with their roots, transported to the growers’ farms and placed in tanks filled with 10-12 degree water from local springs.

The process is called “forced whitening‘: water and the absence of light cause new leaves without chlorophyll to develop inside, with a typical white and purplish-red colour.

Careful trimming and a final wash prepare Radicchio for its final destination on a long and fascinating journey: the most varied and extraordinary dishes.

I hope you are now looking forward to using Radicchio in the kitchen and preparing this fresh homemade pasta, for which I recommend involving even the youngest members of the family: it will be much more fun to forge these tasty little cylinders than to play with any toy modelling dough! Watch the video to find out how to cook this recipe. And if you want another idea for using Radicchio, try my Ricotta dumplings with radicchio.

Strozzapreti with Radicchio and pumpkin fondue

22.8g carbohydrates per 100g

 Ingredients for Strozzapreti for 4 servings

  • 100g Radicchio di Treviso PGI Tardivo
  • 100g water (taken from the water used to blanch Radicchio)
  • 100g gluten free breadcrumbs, brand Nutrifree**
  • 100g gluten free pasta flour mix, brand Molino Dallagiovanna**
  • 1 egg
  • salt

Ingredients for the pumpkin fondue

  • 200g pumpkin already peeled and seeded
  • 120g milk
  • 120g fresh cream
  • 50g Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, grated
  • Radicchio di Treviso PGI Tardivo
  • salt and pepper

**Ingredients specific for celiacs

*Ingredients whose labels must read “gluten-free” (or, in Italy, present on  Prontuario AIC)

Preparing the dough for Strozzapreti and fondue

  1. Put a pot of water on the stove and bring it to the boil; throw in the washed Radicchio tardivo and blanch it for about 1 minute in the boiling water. Remove the Radicchio with the help of a skimmer and throw it into cold water immediately, but keep the scalding water. Drain the Radicchio and leave it in a colander so that it loses as much water as possible.
  2. Put the breadcrumbs in a bowl and, to wet them, use 100g of the boiling water used for the Radicchio: pour it in gradually while stirring the breadcrumbs with a wooden spoon. Let everything cool down.
  3. Slightly wring the blanched Radicchio with your hands to remove excess water and chop it finely on a cutting board using a knife or a half-moon. Add the chopped Radicchio to the breadcrumbs, then complete by adding flour, egg and salt.
  4. Knead all the ingredients to obtain an even mixture that will be rather moist. Wrap it in cling film and let it rest for about 15 minutes.
  5. Meanwhile, prepare the fondue. Place milk and cream in a thick-bottomed saucepan, bring to a gentle boil and allow the liquid to reduce to half. Remove from the heat and add the grated Parmesan cheese, stirring until it melts perfectly.
  6. Cut the pumpkin into cubes and cook it in the microwave for 4 minutes at maximum power in a closed container, or in a static oven at 200g for the time needed to make the pumpkin soft (the time will depend on the size of the cubes). Mash the pumpkin with a fork to obtain a purée, then add it to the fondue, mix well and season with salt and pepper.

Shaping Strozzapreti and completing

  1. Take small pieces of dough and, with the help of a dusting of brown rice flour, roll them out with a rolling pin to a thickness of about 2mm; cut small strips about 4cm long and 1.5cm wide, place them between the palms of your hands and slide your hands in the opposite direction so that the strip becomes a sort of twist.
  2. Lay the Strozzapreti on a tray lightly dusted with brown rice flour and continue until all the dough is used up.
  3. Heat up the Radicchio blanching water; pour the pumpkin fondue into a large non-stick pan and heat it up slightly. When the water in the pot comes to the boil, throw in the Strozzapreti, cook them for a few minutes until they rise to the surface and with a slotted spoon remove them and throw them into the pan with the fondue.
  4. Allow the Strozzapreti with the fondue to take on flavour for a few minutes, then serve hot, topped with a few pieces of fresh Radicchio.

Strozzapreti al radicchio pronti per essere gustati

Strozzapreti with Radicchio ready to be enjoyed

Version with gluten of Strozzapreti with radicchio and pumpkin fondue

Replace the gluten-free flour with standard flour and adjust the amount of water used to scald the breadcrumbs so that all the breadcrumbs are moistened, but not creamy.

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Cabbage, potato and shallot soup

If winter means soups, soups in January mean winter vegetables, of which cabbage and potatoes are surely the most common example, and this Cabbage, potato and shallot soup is also the symbol of peasant cuisine par excellence, enriched with an idea for a zero waste recipe.

Even if the Christmas holidays of 2020 were not all about socialising and big family meals, the rich menus of tradition are too good not to tempt us, and so, as a recipe for Epiphany that makes us turn off the lights of celebrations, I propose a simple dish, prepared with what is hardly missing in the kitchen in winter: the long-lived vegetables that love the cold and dark winter days, namely cabbage, potatoes and various onions.

Added to this is also a necessity. After preparing kilos and kilos of succulent fillings made from stewed meat and Parmigiano Reggiano of two different maturations for Anolini or Cappelletti alla parmigiana, my fridge is full of cheese rinds that it would be sacrilegious to throw away, so I urgently need ideas on how to make the most out of them, and soups are always a good solution.

And since it is customary to consume pulses, particularly lentils, as a wish for wealth and abundance for the New Year, I thought I would complete the soup by adding Barilla Legumottithe fantastic grains made with lentil, chickpea and pea flour, which in just 9 minutes give us the full and authentic flavour of pulses in the form of pasta: you know I am a real fan of Legumotti, which I have also proposed in other mouth-watering recipes.

With the simplicity of a zero waste dish, vegetarian and prepared with few ingredients, I wish you a 2021 of health, serenity and… lots of work for everyone!

Le verdure della zuppa

Cabbage, potato and shallot soup

6.65g carbohydrates per 100g

Ingredients for 4 servings

  • 1lt vegetable stock
  • 500g cabbage
  • 230g potato
  • 125g Barilla Legumotti*
  • 100g shallot
  • 50g rinds of Parmesan cheese
  • 1 clove garlic
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • pepper
  • salt

*Ingredients whose labels must read “gluten-free” (or, in Italy, present on  Prontuario AIC)

Preparation

  1. Cut the shallot into thin slices and brown it in a pan with a little extra virgin olive oil. Add the finely diced potatoes and chopped garlic clove and season for a few minutes. Finally, add the cabbage cut into strips, mix well and cover with the vegetable stock.
  2. Also add the Parmesan cheese rinds: use a knife to scrape the outer surface to remove any dust, then cut them into pieces of a few centimetres. Put the lid on and cook for 20 minutes.
  3. Adjust salt, throw the Legumotti into the soup and add vegetable stock if there is not enough liquid to cook.
  4. Serve the soup with a drizzle of oil and a grinding of pepper.

Zuppa di cavoli, patate e scalogno

Version with gluten

This recipe is naturally gluten-free.

 

 

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